At the request of ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio® (ARRL), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted a waiver allowing amateur radio operators to participate in a special event commemorating the 81st anniversary of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

On December 6 and 7, ham radio operators can make crossband contacts with the Battleship IOWA, now moored in the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, California, using the call sign, NEPM.

The FCC waiver “is conditioned on participating amateur stations: 1) monitoring the following three federal frequencies: 14,375 kHz, 18,170 kHz, and 21,460 kHz; 2) responding on spectrum allocated to the amateur service and only at the request of event organizers; 3) operating consistent with the privileges of their amateur licenses; and 4) limiting communications to the period beginning 9 AM EST December 6, 2022 through 8:59 PM EST December 7, 2022. Additionally, all other related Commission regulations that are applicable to amateur operators will continue to apply (e.g., mode, maximum power, and license class).”

Because this is a crossband operation, ARRL reminds participating amateur stations to monitor their transmit frequency, as well as the ship station’s out-of-band frequency, to protect against inadvertently interfering with other amateur communications.

The waiver includes that in “addition to the skills gained by amateur operators who participate in the (event), this specific Remembrance Day carries particular importance given the ever-decreasing number of World War II veterans able to participate each year.”

“This special event offers radio amateurs the opportunity to participate in a remembrance that honors the sacrifices of all those present at Pearl Harbor on that infamous day, and in memory of all those who lost their lives during WWII defending our freedoms”, said Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, ARRL Radiosport and Regulatory Information Manager.

More information about the event and QSL procedures can be found on the website of the Battleship IOWA Amateur Radio Association (BIARA), an ARRL-affiliated club, at https://biara.org/. Operations on both days are expected from 1500 to 2400 UTC. The BIARA President is Doug Dowds, W6HB, an ARRL Life Member.

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is commemorated each year on December 7th. Iowa was decommissioned in October 1990 and currently serves as a museum battleship.